Get to Know the Elegance of Italianate Architecture

It's hard not to let out an "ooh" and "aah" when passing any Victorian home. The Italian Victorian house—known as the Italianate style—was unsurprisingly one of the most ornamental and popular designs across Europe and the U.S. Whether you're wondering what type of home you have or have spotted a beauty while on vacation, this far-from-subtle style has a long list of impressive features both inside and throughout its exterior.

The History of the Italianate-Style Home

In a time when decorative embellishments were all the rage—from Rococo style to Gothic Revival—a well-known British architect named John Nash saw another opportunity. The ornate Italian Renaissance villas and stunning farmhouses caught his eye, leading him to build the first Italianate-style house outside Italy in 1802.

Over the next several decades, and up to the 1880s, the Italianate Victorian style also sprung up across North America. An American landscaper and author, A.J. Downing, inspired the expansion of the style across the states in the 1840s.

It's important to note that with the Industrial Revolution in full swing, cast-iron ornamentation was a prominent feature of many Italianate homes. This style of home lasted in the U.S. until about 1880, appearing in everything from smaller row homes and apartments to large mansions with sprawling gardens.

Exterior Features of Italianate Architecture

One of the best ways to impress your friends and differentiate an Italianate home from other Victorian styles is its geometric form. Italian-style houses typically feature precise right angles, square or rectangular towers, and a line of arches across the front porch. Here are the most specific details to know.

1. Victorian Ornamentation

Like the other Renaissance revival homes of the time, doors, windows, and eaves all feature elaborate decor around their trims. The front porch may feature ornate cast-iron handrails and sconces. Roof cresting often topped the eaves while ornate corbels sat just below them. Elaborate trim and pediments sat above windows and doors. Overall, the wealthier the builder, the more detailed the style.

2. Rectangular or L-Shaped Structure

Italianate homes differ from other types of floor plans because they are either strictly symmetrical in a square or rectangular layout or have two arms that form an “L” or “J.” Unlike a Queen Anne home with rounded spires and roofs, Italianates are nearly always squared-off around its edges.

3. Low-Pitched Roof

You can also spot an Italianate home by its relatively flat roofs. While there will be several floors in each home—and often a tower or belvedere in the center—the roofs on top of each level did not have a sharp pitch like its Gothic cousins of the time. The roof also featured far-overhanging eaves supported by ornately carved corbels.

4. Towers and Belvederes

Higher-end Italianate-style houses featured a square or rectangular tower or a belvedere (a type of cupola). Quite often, a tower reached from the first or second floor of the house, rising higher than the rest of the structure. Belvederes, however, sat independently on top of the house and allowed guests to sit inside to get a higher view of the area.

5. One-Story Porches

Wraparound porches were iconic features of Italianate homes, either with a symmetrical or asymmetrical shape off one side of the house. The front of the porch typically includes an arcade—or row—of decorative arches. Italianate row homes, on the other hand, often have stoops or small porticos.

Interior Features of Italianate Architecture

Step inside an Italianate home, and you'll find a wide variety of layouts, ornamentation, and popular decor trends of the time. The often asymmetrical style allowed for greater flexibility depending on the owner's needs.

1. Asymmetrical Layout 

The layout of an Italianate home game homeowners room to play regarding where they'd place their living, hosting, and sleeping areas. Most larger homes featured a piano nobile or a principal floor with all primary living areas. Central passageways encouraged guests to move from room to room easily, and the adorning belvedere welcomed in air, light, and a place to check out the views.

2. Dramatic Doors and Windows

The central front door was a major focal point of the home and often included double doors with ornate carvings. Smaller homes feature multi-paned, double-hung windows, while larger ones had two tall windows side by side. Many first-floor windows rounded off at the top to match their rounded pediments or the arches on the adjoining porch.

3. Elaborate Decoration

Unsurprisingly, the embellishments on their home's exterior worked their way inside as well. Carved door surrounds, mantelpieces and room entryways featured decorative pilasters with fluted columns and dentil details. Ceiling medallions often sat at the center of the rooms to frame chandeliers. The influence of Renaissance interior design can be seen in many of the flourishes and ornate details in Italianate-style homes.

Overall, Italianate homes balance a farmhouse simplicity with a Rococo flair. Whether designers leaned one way or the other depended on the designers' and the homeowners' preferences.

4. Unique Flooring

While we commonly associate simple hardwood flooring with most pre-20th-century homes, the Italianate style often went in a different direction. Softwood floors sat beneath wall-to-wall carpeting made of the Venetian-style woven rugs of the time. Other homes featured alternating squares or boards of multi-hued hardwood.

In homes that could afford the pricey material, you'd also find terracotta tiles throughout the flooring due to their durability.

Pros and Cons of Italianate Architecture

Italianate-style homes are eye-catching and have no shortage of admirers and prospective homebuyers. Like every style of home, however, these houses have both advantages and drawbacks.

Pros

These grand homes certainly do not lack curb appeal! The stately look and elaborate features are popular with those who appreciate their elegance. These homes are ideal for large families or those who need a lot of space, as the style often includes a third or fourth floor. Italianate-style homes are generally built well and have stood the test of time.

Cons

While fans of Italianate architecture love the ornate details and dramatic flourishes found in these homes, all those features require significant upkeep. Since many Italianate homes are 150 years old or more, original materials may need to be replaced as they degrade over time, and that can get costly if you’re looking to keep the original high-quality craftsmanship. 

How to Incorporate Italianate Architecture Into Your Home

If you love the look of Italianate architecture but aren’t lucky enough to live in one of these homes, there are still ways you can pull aspects of the look into your home.

• Replace doors and windows with more ornate options in the Italianate style.

• Use cast iron decorative elements in exterior features.

• Add Italianate-style embellishments to interior doorways, ceilings, railings, and trim.

• Replace flooring with elaborate hardwoods or terracotta tiles.

Where to Find Italianate-Style Houses Today

John Muir's house in Martinez, California; the row homes of Cincinnati; and the David Davis Mansion in Illinois are all iconic Italianate homes of the time. Italianate homes are also iconic across the Jersey shore, in Brooklyn brownstone townhouses, and are one of the primary styles in historic New Orleans.

Living in an Italianate House

There are expected challenges that come with any 150-year-old home. But it does take some extra legwork to find the right contractors for historical homes. Luckily, some locations require contractors to register with the city to prove their expertise—one of the most common areas with Italianate homes. 

However, updating elaborate ornamentation, reappointing brick walls, or replacing Venetian carpeting can all keep Italianate homes up to their original beauty. Be sure to hire a local general contractor who understands your home's historic structure before making changes. If you’re looking for substantial renovations to an Italianate-style home, you may want to consult with an architect near you who knows the best way to work with these homes.